Linking Records together in MDM

[Former Member]

Hi,

I am facing the following task:

We have an MDM repository filled with records. We need to link some main records to other main records, in a kind of Mother->Daughter relationship.

These should be linked by users using the MDM Portal.

I have linked the records using Lookup [main], having a record looking up records in same repository.

This is not a good method, and it is not user friendly when using the MDM Portal.

What other possibilities do I have?

Remember, it must be possible and user friendly to link records together using the MDM Portal.

KR,

Thomas

[Former Member]

sorry - but then what is ur actual question or issue ??!

u are asking questions in one area : then when the possible solutions are provided : u are reverting back to another area !

dont get confused

[Former Member]

I am sorry you see it that way Adrivit.

The fact is, I stated in my question that I have been using Lookup (Main) field type, but I don't find it very user friendly.

When I received an answer that said that Lookup (Main) probably was the best solution, I asked back if there is any possibility to make the user experience more user friendly by removing displayed fields in the look up.

If I used the wrong phrasing, and the meaning was not understood, I appologize.

It seems difficult to use relationships on the portal, that's why I want to use Lookup (Main) if it is possible to make it more user friendly.

Kind Regards,

Thomas

[Former Member]

you have not mentioned where your records are ??

i mean :

are you trying to link records (in main table1) to records (in another main table2 ) as possible from 7.1 ?

or

you have records (only in 1 main table) and you want to link each other within that 1 main table only ??

thanks

-Adrivit

Edited by: Adrivit on May 2, 2011 1:25 PM

[Former Member]

I have one repository with one main table.

I wish to link records to eachother within this Main table.

KR,

Thomas

[Former Member]

ok - clear

the best way to achieve this is by using relationships.

bring down ur repository

go to console and add new object type relationships and define relationships there (parent child OR siblings)

once done - load repo

go to data mamager and you find new entry in data manager (right side up) called relationships

choose record in main table (parent)

double click on the section relationships (pop up occur)

drag children records from same main table and release in pop up window

now for parent --> children are related and users in the portal can see the related items

thanks

-Adrivit

Edited by: Adrivit on May 2, 2011 1:47 PM

[Former Member]

Thanks Adrivit.

I wish for the users to be able to link records together using the Portal interface. They enter one parent and 5 child-records, and want to link them at once.

Can they link records using the portal interface when using Relationships?

KR,

Thomas

[Former Member]

am not sure if the standard iViews can achieve this .. as they are for typical end users and this above said job is that of a MDM admins'

but u can achieve this with custom iviews to suit ur needs

not an issue

thanks

-Adrivit

[Former Member]

Hi Thomas

there are 2 ways for doing this-

1. Using relationships as explained by Adrivit. But since you want to manage/edit the relationships via Portal Interface using APIs, I am not sure how effectively they are supported by APIs. Please check API capabilities below- http://help.sap.com/javadocs/mdm/sp06/com/sap/mdm/data/commands/ModifyRelationshipsCommand.html

2. Using Lookup Main fields which you have tried. You can make this field Multivalued and assign 4/5 child records. This is well supported by APIs and will be easier to manage in Portal.

Based on previous experience I can share with you that working with relationships has some limitations and going with Lookup(main) field will be a better solution.

Best regards-Ravi

[Former Member]

Thanks.

The problem I am facing while using lookup Main fields in the portal, is that ALL fields in the Main table are visible for each record in the pop-up window. Not only display fields. I use the normal MDM Item Details iView.

We have one field which contain a long description. This field takes a lot of vertical space in the pop-up window when selecting records to which you want to link, and the user must do a lot of scrolling to find relevant records.

Is there another way of displaying this pop-up? Maybe with only a few fields like ID and name?

KR,

Thomas